After wrapping up the Lukaku loan deal to Inter Milan within the first two weeks of the transfer window, Chelsea’s new owners are set to switch their focus on strengthening the squad with five to six signings expected to be completed. Todd Boehly has succeeded Marina Granovskaia as the football director and is now the chief negotiator for any transfer business for this summer window.
With Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and possibly club captain Cesar Azpilicueta all leaving the club, Chelsea are in need of a defensive revamp to aid their efforts to close the gap to Liverpool and Manchester City next season. Thomas Tuchel’s defenders shortlist include Presnel Kimpembe, Matthijs De Ligt, Jules Kounde, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol and Aymeric Laporte.
Matthijs De Ligt is a player high on Tuchel’s wishlist and the Blues are set to pursue the transfer this summer. The Dutch defender hasn’t been at his best at Juventus compared to his time at Ajax and is keen on moving to elsewhere to find his best form. Juventus have been in contract negotiations with the player but the talks have failed with the player demanding his 120 million euros release clause to be reduced significantly. According to Italian source Corriere Dello Sport, the defender has handed in his transfer request with his heart set on a move to England.
Chelsea to offer Werner or Pulisic in exchange to drive down the transfer fee:
es_grimes brought to notice that Juventus and Chelsea are in conversation for a potential swap deal involving Timo Werner.
That was furthered by an exclusive interview by Italian transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio, Matthijs de Ligt is seen as Thomas Tuchel’s number one target and the Blues are working behind the scenes to secure a deal. Chelsea would like to offer €25-30million + Werner for De Ligt, but it is seen as too little. Chelsea plan to arrive with a new offer at around €40-45million + Werner, but the Bianconeri want more – and in first place their request for De Ligt was to pay his release clause. De Ligt would be a keen on a move to Chelsea, but Chelsea’s proposal so far is seen as too little for the Serie A side. Werner’s wages could also be a problem who earns around 10-11million net per season. But talks continue, as Werner would also like the move but knows he will need to decrease his wages. They are working on finding a solution: Juventus like Werner – he is seen as a similar player to Morata.
Juventus are interested in signing Christian Pulisic too if a deal for Timo Werner fails to materialise. Chelsea are ready to offload any of their two current attacking players after Lukaku’s loan to Inter Milan to make space for new incoming signings with Raheem Sterling, Ousmane Dembele and Richarlison all liked by Tuchel.
De Ligt: A John Terry-esque defender
Matthijs De Ligt resembles Chelsea club legend and fan favourite John Terry who was a huge cult hero at Stamford Bridge, in the way the Dutch defender is on and off the pitch. De Ligt is a no-nonsense defender who is a true leader and a very aggressive defender. His leadership qualities were displayed during his final season at Ajax where the 22 year old led his boyhood club to the Champions league semi finals.
Chelsea have lacked the presence of real leaders in the dressing room after the legendary quartet of Petr Cech, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba departed the club. Antonio Rudiger and Thiago Silva were the dressing room leaders until last season but the departure of the former has left Thomas Tuchel with Thiago Silva being the only experienced player.
Author’s Verdict
All in all, if Todd Boehly manages to pull this deal off, it could be a real game-changer of Chelsea next season. The departure of either Timo Werner or Christian Pulisic in the opposite direction would help the club reduce the wage bill and make room for the incoming signings. Though, lot of negotiations are yet to happen for this deal to be completed, the early indicators are certainly encouraging for the Chelsea faithful. It’s ironical that Manchester City and Liverpool have signed the two best young strikers in Europe (Erling Haaland and Darwin Nunez) and Chelsea is pursuing two of Europe’s best young defenders (De Ligt and Jules Kounde) to stop them both.
MUST READ:
– Why are Chelsea interested in Jonathan Clauss
– What does the future hold for Armando Broja?
– Will Chelsea still push to sign their long term target Jules Kounde after his latest injury setback?
– Raheem Sterling to Chelsea: Does it make sense?
– Boehly Bridge-ing the Gap: A Significant Summer at Chelsea
